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Modern Russian machine guns and rifles. In the shadow of Kalashnikov

The Kalashnikov assault rifle is a symbol of the second half of the 20th century. Over the years, designers have tried to create something worth a look, just as trouble-free and reliable. However, in most cases, the result was another modification of the AK-47. after 1995 the situation changed somewhat. Russian designers have developed several noteworthy rifles. In this article, we will look at the new weapons of Russia, which are going to be put into service with the military forces.

A short preface

Since 1949, the most popular and sought-after weapon almost all over the world is the Kalashnikov assault rifle. However, abroad, except for the Makarov pistol, AK-47 (and its modifications), as well as Simonov carbines, they did not know anything else. After the collapse of the USSR, the situation changed a little. Gunsmiths got to work and developed several promising models small arms. It is safe to say that the Russian Army will have a new assault rifle that will replace the obsolete AK-47 and its modifications. Of course, the Russian defense industry is unlikely to tell all its secrets about what weapons the army will be equipped with and when. Nevertheless, today something is known about the AN-94 assault rifle, a silent sniper rifle and other developments of Russian gunsmiths. In this article we will try to look at new types of pistols, rifles and machine guns.

Russia's newest weapons

In fact, the number of projects being developed in the field of the Russian defense industry is simply enormous. These are atomic submarines project "Shark", support for "Terminator" tanks, supersonic aircraft "Ajax" and much more. But in one case we are dealing with aircraft, in another - with heavy ground equipment. We are more interested in the development of small arms, for example, the AN-94, which is fundamentally different from the Kalashnikov assault rifle. The Ministry of Defense says that soon the AN will completely replace the AK-47/74, as well as the AKM. Kalashnikov himself had a rather negative attitude towards the new small arms of the Russian infantry, but today this machine gun can be considered a standard. The essence of the new development is that the firing efficiency, compared to the AK, has been increased by 1.5-2.0 times. Along with this, demands were made for reduced returns. With all this, Russia’s new weapons had to be no less reliable and trouble-free under any circumstances.

Detailed description of AN-94

We can say with confidence that this is the most modern weapons. For example, the butt, as well as the forend, are made of polymers, which makes the weapon more convenient and lighter. The gas tube under the barrel is a guide lever with a rigid mount. It is noteworthy that it uses the principle of a biased blowback pulse, which is also known as SIS. The essence of such a system is that during recoil the receiver and barrel move separately from the bolt and bolt frame. AN-94 is equipped with 4x optical sight to improve shooting accuracy while moving. The standard sight is also made with fundamental differences from the Kalashnikov assault rifle. It is graduated at 1 km. Another innovation is the ability to install 40 mm. The latter can fire both live and light-sound projectiles. But the most important thing is to say about reliability. It is increased by more than 150% compared to the AK-74. In practice, the first failure occurs after 40,000 shots.

New Russian small arms

(ASVK) was developed in the early 2000s. This weapon is fundamentally different from its analogues in that the firing range has been slightly increased, and it has also become possible to hit enemy personnel wearing body armor. The gunsmiths also had a third goal - to provide the sniper with the ability to hit protected, small-sized objects (enemy shelters, MRKs, radars, satellite communication antennas, etc.). All this became a prerequisite for the creation of a large-caliber sniper rifle with powerful cartridges (caliber - 12.7 mm). Of course, the mass of the weapon in this case was more than 13 kilograms. Without sight and magazine - 12 kg. What is worth noting is the presence of a top rail, which allows you to install various optical and night sights. If there is a need to destroy lightly armored enemy equipment and infantry at a distance of up to 2 km, then the ASVK is used. This new Russian small arms allows you to conduct targeted fire from cover.

Sniper rifle (SV-8)

This small weapon was developed in 2011. Today SV-8 is one of the best sniper rifles. It is worth drawing your attention to the fact that all developments took place in strict secrecy; the official announcement was made only in 2011. This is enough light weapons, weighing only 6.5 kilograms and with dimensions 1025 x 96 x 185. The firing range, so to speak, is standard - 1.5 kilometers. 5-round magazine. Currently, the Ministry of Defense plans to replace the SVD and OSV-96 with the SV-8, which is much more reliable and trouble-free, as well as accurate. Soon it is planned to put the SV-8 into serial production and completely replace the obsolete SVD. Therefore, if we consider new weapon developments in Russia, it is definitely worth mentioning the new model sniper rifle.

Machine gun "Kord"

If speak about modern machine guns, which are used by the armed forces of the Russian Federation, it is impossible not to mention “Kord”. Despite the fact that development began in the 90s, the final version was received only in 2007. It is noteworthy that the machine gun can be installed on the T-90S tank. The firing range against ground targets is 2 km, against air targets - 1.5 kilometers. Currently there are a huge number of modifications. For example, there are tank machine guns, as well as infantry ones on bipods and infantry machine guns, etc. High versatility means that the Kord can be used for almost any purpose. If you use bullets with a tungsten core, you can significantly improve the armor penetration rate, so hitting lightly armored enemy vehicles will not be difficult. In addition to all this, you can install optical or night sight, which makes it truly universal this weapon Russia. The latest developments don't stop there, so let's move on.

About the AK-12 in detail

Along with providing the Russian army with new uniforms, the question of changing small arms arises. Today there is a lot of talk about the “Ratnik” equipment. In addition to new armor, soldiers will also receive a machine gun. According to preliminary data, it will be an AK-12. Let's take a closer look at what kind of weapon this is and what its features are. As the name suggests, the developer of this assault rifle was the Kalashnikov concern, so the caliber of the bullet will be exactly the same as that of the AK-47. The most fundamental difference from its predecessor is the reduced weight. The designers managed to reduce the weight of the weapon by 0.1 kg. Some may think this is a ridiculous number, but it is not. In addition, the trigger mechanism has been improved. From now on, you can pull the bolt with one hand, and there is no need to carry out this activity after each magazine change.

AEK-971, or the main competitor of the AK-12

Today, the new model of the Kalashnikov assault rifle has a serious competitor. The designers from Kovrov used a fundamentally new design, which significantly reduces the recoil of the weapon. Shooting, due to lower recoil, is smoother, but the weight is slightly greater than that of the AK-12. But if we compare in general, the accuracy of fire of the two models is almost the same. Although the power of the AK is somewhat greater. It is impossible not to notice that the AEK-971 has such a significant advantage as a new firing mode - short bursts. But the AK-12 also has this capability, however, there are some differences. However, both on the one hand and on the other, it is said that it would be good to adopt both models and experimentally determine which is better in real combat conditions. Newest anyway military weapons Russia will be put into service in 2015 along with the Ratnik kit.

Something else about the newest

As noted a little above, today there are a huge number of projects that the best gunsmiths are working on Russian Federation. However, no one is in a hurry to share their secrets. For example, today it is known that the so-called “Drone” will soon enter service. It is already known what it will be fighting machine, however, there was no confirmation or denial from the Ministry of Defense. Nevertheless, we can expect that Russia will have a new weapon (“Dron”), but when this will happen and under what circumstances will remain a mystery until the last. It is quite possible that this will be secret weapon RF, and it will only be used in the event of direct aggression.

Conclusion

So we've only looked at some newest weapons Russia. Photo the latest developments you can see in this article. Today, revolvers, pistols, machine guns, grenade launchers and machine guns are constantly being developed. They are trying to introduce all this into service. Nevertheless, the question of making bullets is often raised head on. If a weapon is developed with a caliber that is not manufactured on the territory of the Russian Federation, then in most cases it is not put on the assembly line. A striking example of this is the Kalashnikov assault rifle, which has been intensively used for more than 40 years. Despite all its reliability and unpretentiousness, it is time to replace this weapon with something newer, more powerful and accurate. That, in principle, is all that can be said on this topic. Now you know what Russia’s new weapons look like and what they should be.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has adopted the AK-12 and AK-15 assault rifles. The weapon is recommended for use in Land and Air Forces. airborne troops ah, and also connections Marine Corps, transmits RT .

At the coordination scientific council of the military department, it was stated that the products of the Kalashnikov Concern JSC according to the criterion of “simplicity - reliability” are more suitable for combined arms units and subunits, reports "A red star" .

The development of the new machine gun has been carried out since June 2011 under the leadership of the chief designer of Izhmash, Vladimir Zlobin, based on developments over the previous 10 years. In the same year, assembly was completed and testing began on the first prototype of the fifth-generation Kalashnikov assault rifle with the working name AK-12.

The machine was first shown in January 2012. The state did not provide support for the development of a new machine gun due to the excessive number of old AKs, of which there were a total of more than 17 million in warehouses.

In the summer of 2012, in Solnechnogorsk, Zlobin held a presentation of the AK-12 for the Interdepartmental working group(laboratories) under the Military-Industrial Commission, which included representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB of Russia.

Based on the results of the demonstration shooting, members of the commission noted that the machine gun behaves more steadily when firing than samples of previous generations: recoil and displacement when firing in bursts have decreased. In 2016, in addition to the AK-12, the AK-15 assault rifle chambered for 7.62x39 mm and the RPK-16 machine gun (5.45x39 mm) were also demonstrated.

The assault rifles have retained the gas-operated automatic circuit, traditional for Kalashnikov assault rifles, with the barrel bore being locked by turning the bolt, and can use magazines from previous generations of AK family assault rifles of the appropriate calibers. The gas outlet unit, gas tube, receiver and barrel have been significantly modified in order to improve the accuracy of fire in all modes.

The safety switch for fire modes is located on the right and has 4 positions (safety - automatic fire - burst of 2 shots - single), and also has an additional “shelf” for forefinger, providing more convenient switching of fire modes without changing the grip of the shooting hand. The AK-12 and AK-15 are equipped with Picatinny rails on the removable receiver cover and receiver guard, allowing for convenient and repeatable mounting of various types of day and night sights.

The forend also has an additional Picatinny rail on the bottom for mounting additional accessories. The machine gun is equipped with a folding, length-adjustable stock made of impact-resistant plastic. A muzzle brake-compensator is installed on the barrel; in addition, it is possible to install a bayonet or a quick-release muffler. A 40-mm GP-25 or GP-34 grenade launcher can be installed under the barrel.

In July 2017, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on economic policy and industry, vice-president of the Union of Mechanical Engineers of Russia and president of the association “League for Assistance to Defense Enterprises” Vladimir Gutenev told Gazeta.Ru about the situation in the military-industrial complex of Russia.

According to the parliamentarian, the Russian defense industry moved away from the “edge” even in beginning of XXI century. Thanks to measures taken by the state in the 2000s, before the economic crisis of 2008-2009, the basic sectors of the economy were characterized by high and sustainable growth rates.

“If we talk about the current situation that has developed under the influence of unfavorable factors in foreign policy and economic spheres, then, in my opinion, about sustainable industrial development, it’s too early to say. We can say that the domestic industry is beginning to emerge from a state of stagnation. Despite all the economic difficulties and sanctions restrictions, the total increase in industrial production last year was about one and a half percent,” the deputy explained.

He, however, added that the scientific reserve created by previous generations of Russian scientists and engineers has already been practically exhausted, so it is necessary to create a new one. Thus, for each direction, “looks” and “images” of promising products should be developed, created not as a result of reengineering existing solutions, but fundamentally new ones.

MOSCOW, June 24 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. This week in Russia ended military tests the latest machines AK-12 and AK-15. These promising rifle systems are the main contenders for the role of standard weapons for equipping the "Ratnik" serviceman. Both machine guns are distant descendants of the good old AK, which entered Soviet Army back in 1949 and became over time the most popular and widespread assault rifle in the world. Of course, the new items are made to the highest standards modern technologies, they have improved ergonomics and improved mechanics. But the basic principles of the legendary Kalash remained unchanged - reliability, unpretentiousness and ease of operation. Thanks to these qualities, he became one of the symbols of the Russian Armed Forces.

Nevertheless, machine guns in the arsenal of our army are represented not only by Kalashnikovs of various modifications. Soviet and Russian gunsmiths created many interesting shooting systems. Although they did not enter the army en masse, they definitely managed to prove their effectiveness thanks to non-standard design solutions.

A-91

The “bullpup” scheme, popular in the West, in our country for a long time did not take root, although they experimented with it in Soviet time. It is an unconventional arrangement of the mechanisms of machine guns and rifles, in which the trigger and pistol grip are moved forward and located in front of the magazine and percussion mechanism. This design made it possible to make the weapon more compact and more accurate when firing in bursts, which is very valuable in urban battles. Among the disadvantages of the bullpup are the center of gravity of the machine gun, which is unusual for most shooters, the shorter length of the sighting line of mechanical sights and the specific location of the magazine, which makes it difficult to replace it.

One of the few Russian machines made according to this design is the brainchild of the Instrument Design Bureau named after. Shipunov - the A-91 rifle-grenade launcher complex, as well as its modification A-91M. It was first introduced in 1990, with small-scale production beginning a year later. The assault rifle is produced in two versions: a “home” version chambered for the Russian 5.45x39 cartridge and an export version chambered for the NATO 5.56x45 cartridge. The weapon turned out to be “handy”, compact, easy to use and reliable. The 40-mm under-barrel grenade launcher integrated into the design significantly increased the firepower of the shooter on the battlefield. And a special handle at the top of the machine made it easier to carry.

However, the A-91 never received mass distribution, despite all its advantages. The weapon turned out to be too heavy - 4.4 kilograms. The main assault rifle of the Russian army, the AK-74, weighs one kilogram less, which is quite significant. In addition, the fate of the A-91 was affected by the military’s traditional distrust of the bullpup layout, which was nevertheless implemented in a number of modern sniper rifles. And the KBP assault rifle is currently used to a limited extent by special forces of the Ministry of Defense and other law enforcement agencies.

AN-94

The Nikonov AN-94 "Abakan" assault rifle, created in 1994, was officially adopted for service Russian army in 1997. According to the military, it was supposed to replace the AK-74, which was very similar in appearance to its “younger” competitor. However, there were differences between the two machines, and quite significant ones.

The AN-94 was the first to implement the principle of a shifted recoil impulse to increase the accuracy and accuracy of the shot. Simply put, when firing in bursts from the Abakan, the shooter feels the impact of the butt on the shoulder only after the first two bullets leave the barrel. The weapon “throws up” starting from the third cartridge. This result was achieved using the so-called fire monitor scheme, when the barrel is not fixedly fixed, but “rolls back” when fired. By the time it reaches the rearmost position and the shooter feels the recoil, the first two bullets will already be flying towards the target.

Especially for this feature, the AN-94 implemented a firing mode with a cut-off of two rounds. The accuracy and accuracy of this machine gun is amazing: the bullets literally fall on one point. But the advantage of "Abakan" is also its disadvantage. The design of the machine gun is too complex for a young conscript soldier to quickly master. When disassembling the AN-94, it is divided into as many as 13 parts, including two springs, a cable and a roller. Naturally, this requires a fundamentally different culture of handling weapons. Today, "Abakans" are in the arsenal of individual units of the armed forces, special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Guard.

AEK-971

This assault rifle, developed in 1978 at the Degtyarev plant, was the main competitor of Abakan in the competition for the main rifle complex for the armed forces. In terms of its layout, the AEK-971 largely replicates the AK-74 and, at first glance, does not differ from it in appearance. However, if you remove the receiver cover, the difference is visible to anyone with even a little knowledge of weapons.

The creators of the AEK-971, like the designers of the AN-94, tried to effectively solve the problem of strong recoil when firing in bursts. To do this, a counterweight-balancer was added to the automation unit, equal in mass to the bolt group. It is its backward movement when reloading each cartridge that “shakes” the weapon. The problem of a balance beam moving when shooting at the opposite side(that is, forward) - balance the recoil impulse and reduce it to a minimum. This scheme is vaguely reminiscent of the operation of the weights on an old mechanical watch.

Test results showed that the AEK-971 is 15-20 percent superior to the AK-74 in terms of accuracy of fire, but is inferior to the Abakan when firing in short bursts. As a result, the last one won the competition. AEK-971 was produced in small quantities for law enforcement agencies until 2006. However, in 2013, this machine gun received a second life: the A-545 rifle complex was created on its basis. Among its main differences from its predecessor is the Picattini rail on the receiver cover, which allows you to mount various sighting devices on it, as well as the presence of a “flag” - a fire mode switch on both sides of the weapon. This updated complex is the main competitor of the AK-12 and AK-15 for the role of the standard machine gun of the “Warrior” kit.

The double-medium special automatic machine was created by the Instrument Design Bureau named after. Shipunov in 2009 on the basis of the A-91 rifle-grenade launcher complex. It was demonstrated for the first time general public at the International Maritime Show in 2013. As the name suggests, the machine is designed for use in two environments - on land and under water. Already in next year it can officially enter service with units special purpose Navy. In particular, it will be used by units of combat swimmers (saboteur divers) and will replace in their arsenal underwater assault rifle APS, adopted for service back in 1975.

The main difference between the ADS and its land-based “progenitor” A-91 is the gas exhaust mechanism, which is now equipped with a water/air switch. In the first position, the “inside” of the machine is completely sealed, which prevents water from entering. In addition, a special PSP cartridge was developed for ADS, equally effective in both environments. Maximum range shooting underwater - 25 meters. A little, but more is not required, since visibility under water is usually very limited.

SR-3 "Whirlwind"

The SR-3 "Whirlwind" was developed at the Klimov TsNIITOCHMASH in 1994 on the basis of the famous silent assault rifle of the Soviet special forces AS "Val". It is a compact and lightweight (only 2.4 kilograms) weapon for firefight at distances up to 200 meters. The powerful SP-6 9x39mm cartridge allows you to effectively hit an enemy wearing body armor with maximum protection at a distance of 50 meters, something that ammunition from longer-range machine guns cannot always boast of.

The most widespread modification in the special forces of the Ministry of Defense, FSB, Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Guard is the SR-3M. It differs from the original in improved ergonomics, the ability to install a silencer, metal magazines for 30 partons, optical, night and collimator sights, as well as a frame stock folding to the left and a new forend with a tactical handle. This weapon has proven itself in battles in urban environments and when clearing buildings. However, the SR-3M can also be effective as a personal weapon for the crews of aircraft and ground combat vehicles. Small dimensions and large firepower will allow them to effectively protect themselves on the battlefield if the equipment is disabled.

MOSCOW, June 24 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. This week, military tests of the latest AK-12 and AK-15 assault rifles were completed in Russia. These promising rifle systems are the main contenders for the role of standard weapons for equipping the "Ratnik" serviceman. Both assault rifles are distant descendants of the good old AK, which entered the Soviet Army back in 1949 and over time became the most popular and widespread assault rifle in the world. Of course, the new products are made using the most modern technologies, they have improved ergonomics and improved mechanics. But the basic principles of the legendary Kalash remained unchanged - reliability, unpretentiousness and ease of operation. Thanks to these qualities, he became one of the symbols of the Russian Armed Forces.

Nevertheless, machine guns in the arsenal of our army are represented not only by Kalashnikovs of various modifications. Soviet and Russian gunsmiths have created many interesting shooting systems. Although they did not enter the army en masse, they definitely managed to prove their effectiveness thanks to non-standard design solutions.

A-91

The “bullpup” scheme, popular in the West, did not take root in our country for a long time, although it was experimented with in Soviet times. It is an unconventional arrangement of the mechanisms of machine guns and rifles, in which the trigger and pistol grip are moved forward and located in front of the magazine and percussion mechanism. This design made it possible to make the weapon more compact and more accurate when firing in bursts, which is very valuable in urban battles. Among the disadvantages of the bullpup are the center of gravity of the machine gun, which is unusual for most shooters, the shorter length of the sighting line of mechanical sights and the specific location of the magazine, which makes it difficult to replace it.

AN-94

The Nikonov AN-94 Abakan assault rifle, created in 1994, was officially adopted by the Russian army in 1997. According to the military, it was supposed to replace the AK-74, which was very similar in appearance to its “younger” competitor. However, there were differences between the two machines, and quite significant ones.

AEK-971

The creators of the AEK-971, like the designers of the AN-94, tried to effectively solve the problem of strong recoil when firing in bursts. To do this, a counterweight-balancer was added to the automation unit, equal in mass to the bolt group. It is its backward movement when reloading each cartridge that “shakes” the weapon. The task of the balancer, which moves in the opposite direction (that is, forward) when firing, is to balance the recoil impulse and reduce it to a minimum. This scheme is vaguely reminiscent of the operation of the weights on an old mechanical watch.

The double-medium special automatic machine was created by the Instrument Design Bureau named after. Shipunov in 2009 on the basis of the A-91 rifle-grenade launcher complex. It was first demonstrated to the general public at the International Naval Show in 2013. As the name suggests, the machine is designed for use in two environments - on land and under water. As early as next year, it may officially enter service with special forces units of the Navy. In particular, it will be used by units of combat swimmers (saboteur divers) and will replace in their arsenal the APS underwater assault rifle, which was put into service back in 1975.

The main difference between the ADS and its land-based “progenitor” A-91 is the gas exhaust mechanism, which is now equipped with a water/air switch. In the first position, the “inside” of the machine is completely sealed, which prevents water from entering. In addition, a special PSP cartridge was developed for ADS, equally effective in both environments. The maximum firing range underwater is 25 meters. A little, but more is not required, since visibility under water is usually very limited.

SR-3 "Whirlwind"

The SR-3 "Whirlwind" was developed at the Klimov TsNIITOCHMASH in 1994 on the basis of the famous silent assault rifle of the Soviet special forces AS "Val". It is a compact and lightweight (only 2.4 kilograms) weapon for fire combat at distances of up to 200 meters. The powerful SP-6 9x39mm cartridge allows you to effectively hit an enemy wearing body armor with maximum protection at a distance of 50 meters, something that ammunition from longer-range machine guns cannot always boast of.

During the Second World War, the problem of increasing the density of fire in close combat had to be solved with the help of submachine guns. But the war revealed the need for weapons that would reliably hit targets at medium ranges. Neither a low-power pistol cartridge nor an overly powerful rifle cartridge were suitable for this. The problem was solved by creating an intermediate power cartridge. Based on it, an automatic hand weapon with a replaceable magazine and variable fire mode, which eventually became the main one. In the USSR and a number of other countries, this weapon began to be called an “automatic machine,” and in the West (following the Germans, who were the first to adopt such weapons back in 1943) - an “assault rifle.” Their first samples had a caliber of 7.5-7.62 mm. Initially, the difference between a machine gun and an assault rifle was not only in the names. If Soviet machine gun The AK was created for an intermediate cartridge (later called “automatic”), which made it possible to make the weapon compact and maneuverable enough for close combat, while NATO adopted a rifle-power cartridge and relatively long-barreled assault rifles for it. The most common among them were the Belgian FN FAL (FN FAL) and the German G 3 (G 3). This not least explains the long-term preservation of submachine guns in service with Western armies.
Machine guns and assault rifles took their place in the center of a kind of “triangle” (between a rifle, a submachine gun and light machine gun). With a mass of 3.5-4.5 kg, they have relatively short length 800--1100 mm, combat rate of fire in bursts up to 100--150 rounds per minute, convenient for operations in different conditions, reliable.
In the 1960s, an important change occurred - a reduction in the caliber of weapons. The United States adopted the M16 (M16A1) assault rifle of 5.56 mm caliber, and soon small-caliber rifles appeared in other countries - the Israeli Galil, the Belgian FNC, the Austrian Stg 77, French FA MAS. There was nothing unexpected in this - V.G. Much earlier, Fedorov deduced the pattern of caliber reduction when switching to a qualitatively new weapon with new ballistics requirements. Automatic cartridge of 5.56 mm caliber with some reduction sighting range made it possible to increase the firing efficiency at ranges up to 300-400 m, since a higher-speed bullet gave a flatter trajectory at these ranges, and thanks to the lighter cartridge and reduced recoil, the maneuverability of the weapon and wearable ammunition increased. In 1974 new system small arms caliber 5.45 mm entered service in the USSR, its basis was the AK 74 assault rifle. Low-pulse small-caliber cartridges equalized machine guns and assault rifles in capabilities.
Since the machine gun has to fire at various targets, its ammunition includes cartridges with both an ordinary bullet with a steel core and tracer and other special bullets. The bullet must have a good stopping and penetrating effect. The stopping effect of a bullet depends on the amount of energy transferred to the target upon impact and the nature of the damage. The combination of the stopping effect of a bullet with the penetrating effect is becoming especially important nowadays due to the widespread use of personal armor (body armor, helmets, shields). Bullets from modern machine guns pierce steel helmets at ranges of up to 800 m, body armor of 2-3 protection classes - up to 400-500 m.
Night sights are used for shooting at night; optical and red dot sights. For hand-to-hand combat serves as a detachable bayonet knife. For airborne troops, operations in vehicles, etc. a number of samples are equipped with folding or retractable stocks. In the development of machine guns and assault rifles over the past 10-15 years, one can see the desire to ensure that a fighter can fire the first shot as quickly as possible or transfer fire to another target, with the maximum probability of hitting a point target with the first shot or the first short burst, as long and conveniently as possible carry a weapon. This is achieved by improving the weapon itself (accuracy and accuracy of fire, improving balance and ergonomics, more convenient location of the safety switch) and sighting devices, reducing its size and weight without compromising accuracy and power. In a number of samples, two standard fire modes - continuous and single - are supplemented with a fixed burst mode of two or three shots to increase the probability of a hit without wasting ammunition.
The versatility of machine guns and assault rifles has made them the most widespread, “circulation” weapons used in all branches of the military. They will remain so, apparently, for a long time. Modern complex individual weapons are often automatic grenade launchers, that is, a combination of a “small” barrel, “artillery” in the form underbarrel grenade launcher with a fragmentation shot and an electron-optical system in the form of a night or combined sight.
The reduction in caliber and reduced recoil of the cartridge led to other changes. In particular, it became possible to replace submachine guns with weapons unified with a machine gun or assault rifle - small-caliber carbines and shortened machine guns like the Soviet AKS 74U appeared. Such machine guns are convenient for operations in confined spaces, as well as for soldiers in non-combat units.

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